# Claude Built in commands and skills

> Source: <https://dev.to/mdiffshashank/claude-built-in-commands-and-skills-6pp>
> Published: 2026-07-31 04:13:40+00:00

##
1- Core Built-In Commands (Engine & Session Controls)

Built-in commands execute instantly without sending a message to the model. They give you direct control over memory, model choices, and terminal execution.

###
Context & Memory Management

`/context`

: Opens a visual map showing context window usage. Use it to see what percentage of token budget is consumed by project files vs. conversation history.

`/compact [instructions]`

: Summarizes earlier turns in the chat to reclaim token space. You can append instructions like /compact preserve database migration notes.

`/clear`

: Wipes the current session history clean for a new task while keeping global memory files (CLAUDE.md) intact.

`/memory`

: Directly views and edits active CLAUDE.md guidelines.

###
Session Flow & Navigation

-
`/plan [description]`

: Switches Claude into Plan Mode. Prevents file modifications while Claude drafts a step-by-step strategy for high-level tasks.
-
`/btw [question]`

: Asks a side question without adding it to the main conversation context or history.
-
`/rewind (alias /checkpoint)`

: Rolls back file changes, conversation turns, or both to a prior checkpoint.
-
`/branch [name] / /fork`

: Forks the current conversation into a new branch so you can experiment with alternative implementations without destroying your main timeline.

###
Execution Controls

-
`/model [model]`

: Hot-swaps models mid-session (e.g., jump from Sonnet for fast refactoring to Opus for complex math/architecture).
-
`/effort [level]`

: Adjusts reasoning depth (e.g., low, medium, max) depending on task complexity.
-
`/cost / /usage / /stats`

: Displays API token expenditures, daily rate-limit statuses, or long-term trends.

##
2- Bundled & Custom Skills (AI Workflows)

Skills are intelligent workflows. When you invoke a skill, it loads a structured prompt with specific tools, allowing Claude to execute multi-step logic or spawn parallel subagents.

###
Essential Shipped Skills

-
`/simplify [focus]`

: Spawns multiple review agents to analyze recently changed code for redundancies, edge-case bugs, or performance gains, then applies cleaner refactors automatically.
-
`/code-review / /security-review`

: Runs automated multi-agent checks on pending diffs to identify security risks, anti-patterns, or subtle bugs.
-
`/batch [description]`

: Decomposes large-scale, repetitive changes across an entire repository (e.g., "migrate 40 endpoint signatures to use Zod") into independent units running in separate worktrees.
-
`/loop [interval] [prompt]`

: Periodically runs a task on a schedule (e.g., /loop 2m "check if the local build passes").
-
`/debug [description]`

: Reads system runtime/error logs to run structured troubleshooting.

##
3. How Skills Are Configured Under the Hood

When building custom skills in *.claude/skills//SKILL.md or .claude/commands/*, you control execution behavior via YAML Frontmatter:

###
Frontmatter Directives Key:

-
`context: fork`

: Runs the skill inside an isolated background subagent so your main chat remains clean.
-
`disable-model-invocation`

: true: Prevents Claude from running this skill automatically during regular text turns—it will only run when you explicitly type /migration.
-
`allowed-tools`

: Scopes down security permissions so the skill can only execute approved commands or file actions.